Ash Lynx
Aslan Jade Callenreese, better know as "Ash Lynx", is the main character of Banana Fish. Profile Appearance Ash is a tall and slender young man standing at 5'11". He has blonde hair, green eyes, and is extremely beautiful in appearance, as remarked on by numerous characters in the series. His normal attire consists of a white T-shirt, blue jeans, brown belt, and red sneakers. In Episode 10 Ash wears a green earring, matching his eyes. While roaming the streets at night, he wears a blue hoodie on top of his normal attire. He is sometimes depicted with glasses while reading, suggesting he is long-sighted. Dino Golzine often made him dress in clothing similar to that of European nobility. Akimi Yoshida, the manga, has based his likeness on both Stefan Edberg and, later on, River Phoenix. Personality Being a respected and feared gang leader at the age of 17, Ash has the personality and skill to gather large groups of individuals together under his influence. Not only is he excellent in combat and an incredible marksman, he's also highly intelligent with an IQ of 210. His intelligence lends itself well to solving the mystery of 'Banana Fish' and he has also been stated to be quite well read, knowing his way around the newspaper's daily columns and political novels- unusual for someone who did not finish middle school. Along with his remarkable intelligence, Ash's good looks and charisma allow him to sway the will of people to his benefit in dire situations. Despite the influence he holds over others, however, Ash is mistrustful and holds most people at an arms length- except for a few select friends in his inner circle, the most notable being Eiji Okumura. He is not afraid of death not because of courage, as he calls himself a coward, but because of his disillusionment with his own life. History Ash grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts where he was first raped at a very young age by his Little League coach. When his father went to report the sexual assault, the police believed his rapist to be not guilty. Most of the town's people went as far as accusing Ash of seducing his rapist. After being raped several more times by the same man, he ultimately killed his rapist, using his father's gun at the age of 8. His rapist house was investigated, where the police found bones of children in his basement. Ash was found not guilty in the eyes of the law. Small towns tend to spread rumors like wildfire however, and in order to keep Ash away from them, his father sent him away to stay with his aunt. Upon hearing that his brother had left for the army, Ash ran away from home but was eventually captured by Golzine's men. Ash was sent to work at Club Cod: a child sex trafficking establishment operating under the guise of a restaurant owned by Dino Golzine. At Club Cod he learned how to entice customers using his charisma, and he would in due time catch the personal eye of Golzine himself, who opted to keep Ash as a personal "pet" or sex slave. Under Golzine he would be "cultured" and trained to be Golzine's heir and a member of the upper class: made to taste various kinds of wine, learn proper table manners, and receive an outstanding education that included instruction in hand and fire combat from the world's most recognized teachers, one of which was Blanca. At age seventeen, Ash united a great number of gangs under his command and become both a feared and admired gang leader in Manhattan, compelling fierce loyalty. Story Main Article: Ash Lynx/Synopsis Ash Lynx is walking through an alley of New York where he comes across a dying man. He is given a vial of an unknown substance and to his shock he hears the stranger utter a familiar term: "Banana Fish." Relationships Eiji Okumura A 19 years old Japanese college student. He comes to New York as Ibe's assistant to finish a report on street gangs. From their first encounter at the bar, Ash was unusually lenient with Eiji, going as far as letting Eiji hold his gun when Eiji asked mannerly for Ash's permission to do so. As Skip explained to Eiji later on, Ash has never let anybody touch his gun before, one man had attempted to do so without Ash permission and got his fingers blown away. When Ash, Eiji and Skip were captured by Arthur's gang and Dino's man, Eiji earned Ash's respect when he attempted to rescue Ash and Skipper by selfless putting himself in danger with no intention of getting anything in return. As Ash mentioned later on in anime-episode 7, that was the first time someone helped Ash without asking for anything back. As Eiji insists on aiding Ash in the case of Banana Fish, they grow close as they travel the country together and Ash saves Eiji's life countless times. Their friendship deepens so much that either would be willing to die without hesitation instead of letting the other get hurt. Ash eventually gives up on attempting to force Eiji to return to Japan and safety, admitting to his need of Eiji by his side. As several people point out, Eiji's refreshing innocence and honesty has a calming effect on those around him, especially to Ash who finally found joy in being alive after having Eiji love him unconditionally and with no ulterior motives. They have several intimate moments and share a deep and unique connection, which is implicitly romantic aside from their frequent flirting. In Volume 8, Ash confesses to Eiji Okumura that when he was fourteen, he thought he was in love with a girl before she was murdered by people who assumed they were together. It is also implied that he has romantic feelings towards Eiji Okumura, which is confirmed in the short story of Garden of Light in Vol. 19, Sing Soo-Ling stated that their relationship may not have been sexual but that they loved each other as lovers would and that they were soul mates. Griffin Ash's older half- brother. He served in the military alongside Max Lobo, until he went insane due to the effects of the Banana Fish drug and massacred his fellow teammates. It leaded to the decision of Max Lobo to shoot Griffin in the legs and made him to drop his weapon. Griffin was sent home after the incident. Seeing his bother lying lifelessly on the hospital bed, Ash decided to bring Griffin home and took care of him in the following years. As the only word that Griffin keeps mumbling is "Banana Fish", Ash decides to investigate about Banana Fish and find out who is responsible for putting his brother in this situation. Skip Young informant and member of Ash's gang. As in episode 1, it showed that Skip also takes care of Griffin, Ash's half brother, while Ash is away from home. Skip protected Eiji during a bar fight between Arthur's gang and Ash's gang. Skip was shot by Marvin Crosby in his attempt to stop him from shooting Ash. Shorter Wong Ash's best friend aside from Eiji. Associated with the Chinese Mafia. Shorter and Ash met each other when they were in juvenile prison, explained in the side story, "Angle Eyes". Shorter cooperated with Ash in his attempt to kill Dino and to find out what Banana Fish is. Shorter was injected with Banana Fish by Abraham Dawson, which would force him to take Eiji's life. Shorter asked Ash to kill him before he could kill Eiji. Shunichi Ibe After agreeing to let Ibe interview and photograph him, Ash later gets the initial impression that Ibe would not approve of him teaching Eiji how to use guns. He appears to view him as an overprotective parent of sorts. Max Lobo Ash and Max Lobo first meet in jail, where Ash discovers that Max is Griffin's friend. After finding out that he was responsible for shooting Griffin in the leg and paralyzing him for life, Ash vows to kill Max. But as the series progresses, the two develop a deep respect for each other even cooperate to observe about Banana Fish. Max even admits that Ash is like a son to him. Yut-Lung Ash initially seems unsure whether Yut is a friend or foe, but after Eiji tells Ash of his intentions to be his formal enemy, he distrusts and strongly dislikes Yut-Lung for all of his actions, especially for putting Eiji in danger. Sing Soo-Ling Ash, at first, seemed to see Sing as a nuisance more than anything else, but eventually regards him as a trustworthy ally. He asks him to protect his friends on numerous occasions and believes in him to follow through. Frederick Arthur Ash's enemy. Previously Downtown's gang leader at Manhattan. A cruel ex-member of Ash's gang. After Ash won a knife fight against Arthur in the agreement that Arthur would either submit his territory or leave, Arthur drew a gun from his lieutenant and attempted to kill Ash. He failed, however, and Ash punished Arthur by ruining his fingers, making him unable to pull a gun's trigger. The constant hated Arthur felt towards Ash strengthened his need to get revenge. Arthur later allies himself with Golzine in order to get revenge. Dino Golzine Dino is the man who made Ash to be a cold-blooded killer, sexually abused Ash as a child, and kept him as his own personal "pet". He is obsessed with hunting Ash down and killing him and is the ultimate threat in the series. Blanca While Ash respects and cares for him, he's absolutely terrified when finding out that Blanca is in the picture as he is the one who trained him. He is one of the few people of whom Ash doubts his own abilities to fight. Alex Ash’s second in command who is tasked with defending Eiji. When leaving to finalize the deal with Yut and Golzine, he leaves everything in Alex's hands. Cain Blood Cain Blood cooperates with Ash against Golzine and Foxx Eduardo L. Fox One of the most difficult enemies Ash is confronted with. Etymology Ash's real name, Aslan, means "day-break" in Hebrew, as he was born at dawn; it also translates to "lion" in Turkish. His middle name is Jade. Episode Appearances * Episode 01 A Perfect Day for Bananafish * Episode 02 In Another Country * Episode 03 Across the River and into the Trees * Episode 04 This Side of Paradise * Episode 05 From Death to Morning * Episode 06 My Lost City * Episode 07 The Rich Boy * Episode 08 Banal Story * Episode 09 Save Me The Waltz * Episode 10 Babylon Revisited * Episode 11 The Beautiful and Damned * Episode 12 To Have and Have Not * Episode 13 The Snows of Kilamanjaro * Episode 14 Tender is the Night * Episode 15 The Garden of Eden * Episode 16 Lo, The Poor Peacock * Episode 17 The Killers * Episode 18 Islands in the Stream * Episode 19 Ice Palace * Episode 20 The Unvanquished * Episode 21 The Undefeated * Episode 22 As I Lay Dying * Episode 23 For Whom the Bell Tolls * Episode 24 The Catcher in the Rye Image Gallery Main Article: Ash Lynx/Image Gallery Quotes * "I never repent, not once in my life." * (To Eiji) "I won't ask for forever. Just for now." * (To Eiji) "I envy you." * (To Eiji) "I'll protect you. Never leave my side." * (To Eiji) "Don't look at me like that." * (To Eiji) "I don't want you seeing me like this!" * (To Self) "Eiji..." * "I told you, I'd send you to heaven in five minutes." * (About Eiji) “Never shall I forgive whomever should hurt you” * (To Blanca) “I'm happy now. Because I know there’s at least one guy… one guy who cares for me and wants nothing in return. I can’t believe how lucky I am. It’s the happiest feeling in the world”Episode 18 * “Ibe-san. Once everything is done and over with, will you take me to Japan? I want to see the country he was born in” * (To Eiji) "Humans can be funny. They don't understand death, but they instictively fear it." * (To Eiji) "Eiji!" * (To Blanca) When he's near me... His kindness and honesty, his warmth... It flows right through me. It made me complete. * Have you ever thought about death?” * “Death?” “That’s right, death. You said I am not like ordinary people. If there was just one thing I’d say that was true about. It is—I’m not afraid of death. People are funny, because of course, they don’t know anything about death.They never experienced it and knew it was something to fear, but they fear it instinctively. There’ve been countless times in my life when I thought I’d be better off death. That nothing could be worse than what was happening to me right then. At times like that...death looks sweet and peaceful, and unbearably enticing.”Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain 19,710 feet high, and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. It’s western summit is called by the Masai ‘Ngaje Ngai’, the ‘House of God’. Close to the western summit there is the dried and frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude.’ * That is from Hemingway’s The snows of Kilimanjaro. When I think of my own death—I try to picture that leopard’s carcass. Why did he come to those heights—for what? Did he lose his way chasing some prey, and wander into some spot he couldn’t escape from? Or was he looking for something else, climbing higher and higher until he used up all his strength and collapsed? I think about which way the carcass was facing... was he trying to get back down—or trying to climb higher? Either way, that leopard knew... that he would never be going back.“ Trivia *Ash is afraid of pumpkins. *His favorite food is shrimp and avocado salad. *Ash shares his birthday with the author of Banana Fish, Akimi Yoshida. *He identifies as bisexual. In fact, Yoshida stated in an interview that Ash had sex with both men and women. *It is confirmed that Ash has romantic feelings for Eiji, although it is uncertain whether Eiji returns them. * Eiji states that avocado and shrimp salad is Ash's favorite foodBanana Fish Episode 18 * He wakes up cranky due to his low blood pressure. * Ash, alongside Eiji, appears in Akimi Yoshida's another manga, Lovers' Kiss. Ash and Eiji' Loverskiss cameo.png * Ash was referenced in episode 10 of Gaikoysu Shotenin Honda-san. Ash Lynx reference in Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san.jpg Ash Lynx Reference.png * Ash's correlation chart with Eiji after episode 24 on official site changed from 親友 (Shin'yū) means "best friend" to be no correlation status with black thick line, implying that their relationship are so close until can't be described only by words. * In the manga, Ash was confirmed to dead ( Through Garden of Light side story) but in the anime Ash's status still being unknown whereas he is still alive or dead, makes it as open ending. * Ash's chart has been changed step by step from deceased (greyscale) to be colorful again although his name tag still grey, then changed again to be white, even finally Lao's arrow line toward Ash being disappeared, means they decided to make episode 24 to be open ending, whereas Ash is still alive or not. Banana FIsh Episode 24 Chart (step1).jpg.jpg Banana FIsh Episode 24 Chart.jpg (step2).jpg Banana FIsh Episode 24 Chart.jpg (step3).jpg Banana FIsh Episode 24 Story Chart.jpg References Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Ash's gang Category:Siblings Category:Callenreese family Category:Main Character